Tennessee Church Shooting -- Undermining the Conservative Movement
Intelligent US conservatives dropped their heads in frustration Monday after investigators announced that the likely motive in a Tennessee church shooting that killed two people and critically wounded several others was the suspect's "stated hatred for the liberal movement."
The 58-year-old shooting suspect, Jim D. Adkisson, allegedly opened fire inside the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Sunday while children were performing on the sanctuary stage. Church usher Greg McKendry was reportedly shot and killed when he stepped in front of Adkisson, apparently trying to block his line of fire. Although McKendry's heroic action cost him his life, police say it may have saved the lives of many others.
A few hours after the shooting, a second victim, Linda Kraeger, also died from her injuries. Kraeger was not a member of the Tennessee Valley church, but belonged to another Unitarian Universalist church nearby.
In a four-page letter found in his car, police Adkisson expressed frustration at being marginalized by society, watching employment opportunities dry up because of his age and by having his food stamps reduced or cut-off completely. The gunman, presumably angry at what he believed to be society's liberal digression, apparently chose the Tennessee Valley church because it had recently enjoyed publicity for its liberal stances on social issues.
People outside the conservative movement should be aware that the despicable actions allegedly carried out by Adkisson in no way reflect any conservative ideology, nor does this murderous rampage represent the kind of protest advocated by even the most angry of conservative intellectuals.
If the purported motivations for his attack on the church are true, Adkisson's actions undermine the conservative movement in a number of ways:
- First and foremost, the alleged killer's stated hatred for the liberal movement undoubtedly will cause many in the mainstream media to label him a "conservative" by default. Thus, the myth about conservatives' hatefullness and intolerance will continue to grow. The reality is that most conservatives abhor violence against others unless it is acted out in self-defense. Just as abortion-clinic bombings created a backlash against mainstream conservatives in the 1980s and 1990s, Adkisson's actions will be seen as the desperate acts of a radical conservative.
- The decision to use gun violence will certainly hurt the Second Amendment cause, and undermine the meaningful Supreme Court decision handed down in the case of DC v. Heller.
- Most conservatives don't believe in the notion of a welfare State, and thus, Adkisson's alleged response to a reduction in his food-stamp benefits is completely hypocritical and undermines an important conservative plank. If read as a political statement, Adkisson's stated desire to continue living off of the governement dole, can be seen as a reaction in favor of welfare hand-outs and against the conservative notion of "employment not entitlement."
- One of the most important conservative ideals is that of personal responsibility and self-reliance. By attacking his victims so viciously, Adkisson brings unwelcome -- and unwarranted -- attention to the conservative movement. His alleged motivations blame others for his failures in life and remove him from the personal choices and decisions that have affected him.
In the end, Adkisson's alleged rampage should be seen not as a conservative protest, but as the erratic actions of a deranged man, unable to cope with his personal circumstances and unwilling to take responsibility for what his life had become.
Comments
Rightio. Push hatred for liberals and liberal views, then duck responsibility when someone takes the Howard Stern view too literally.
All you have to do is listen to the rhetoric of Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and their minions to understand where a twisted mind can get the “permission” to act out in such a manner.
The rank and file of the conservative movment may not be as inflammatory, but when the standard bearers are, the movement gets branded as such.
Excellent column. With two dead and seven more wounded, with families torn and children psychologically scarred, now more than ever our thoughts must go out to the real victim of this tragedy — the conservative movement.
Whenever an abortion clinic is bombed or a doctor shot down, after the Oklahoma City bombing, a gay or minority student strung up on barbed wire or dragged behind a pickup truck and these things happen all the time, the fundo fascist scum pull their heads in and deny they advocate such acts. They advocate exactly such acts. That’s why they happen. They are liars and cowards as well as cold blooded killers.
God Damn them!
Although the gunman made statements that suggest his dislike of liberal stands on social issues, did he SAY that he was opposed to liberal thinking? Did his letter state that he chose the church because of this particular reason?
I have been a practicing Unitarian Universalist for the past 20 years, and I know what the faith is like. It’s progressive, but not always political. And the gunman was a UU from another church. I don’t think this is so much an issue of liberals vs. conservatives as it is a class issue. Most UUs are college educated, tend to be white, tend to be professional, and as a member of a UU congregation, he likely shared those characteristics. Sounds like he lost a job, was unable to obtain employment, relied on the net of social services that is supposed to catch those in his situation, and was angry about his circumstances. I wouldn’t blame either side for his actions. This is one lone man acting alone, not an indictment of either side.
Hatred and prejudice are the mother’s milk of the con-servant-ives. The richest 1% of the population run the Republican Party, and their incomes have gone up by 235% since 1980. The lowest 20%, who mostly vote Republican, have seen their incomes go up by 6% in that same time period– far less than the rate of inflation.
The hatred spewed by Limbaugh, Coulter, Savage, et al is the only way to keep the rank-and-file from figuring out how they’ve been duped.
Gas prices on the rise? It’s the liberals. Can’t find a job? It’s the liberals. Wal-Mart destroyed your Main Street. Yep, the liberals again. Your corn got hailed? Liberals. Car won’t start. Liberals. Barbara Streisand and Al Gore are the root of all evil– not the love of money like Jesus Christ taught, and like the 1% proves.
Linda, I believe you are mistaken. The shooter (Adkisson) did not belong to a UU church. The line in the article above stated that Kraeger, the woman killed, attended a different UU church in town and was just visiting. The shooter, as far as I can tell from the articles I have read, did not attend any church.
SeaRod was close on the rhetoric issue. Quote from the police…”Still seized three books from Adkisson’s home, including “The O’Reilly Factor,” by television commentator Bill O’Reilly; “Liberalism is a Mental Disorder,” by radio personality Michael Savage; and “Let Freedom Ring,” by political pundit Sean Hannity.”
Linda might not quite have this right because the Knoxville News Sentinel says “Adkisson went on a rampage at the church, Still wrote, “because of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country’s hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of major media outlets.”
Adkisson, who had served in the military, said “that because he could not get to the leaders of the liberal movement he would then target those that had voted them in office,” the search warrant states.”
And it says “Owen said it appeared Adkisson targeted the TVUUC because the “church had received some publicity regarding its liberal stance.” The TVUUC regularly announces in the Knoxville News Sentinel its meetings for gays and their support groups.”
In addition, articles state that Adkisson had NO religious affiliation. I do not believe that he was ever a UU. His ex wife was, however.
Preach hatred, get hatred. In the end, we are ALL Americans no matter what we believe. The hatred needs to end.
reddog is correct. It never happens the other way around. Liberals would never even THINK of taking a life under these circumstances but conservatives? Well, therein lies the answer!!!!
I stand corrected. Early reports had the shooter identified as a UU congregant. But today they say his wife was (or ex-wife was) and that she had a restraining order against him because he threatened to kill her. He, as others have pointed out, didn’t attend church.
This whole issue is such a slippery slope. There are anti-choice groups that oppose abortion, but they don’t advocate killing abortion providers; yet lone gunmen go out and kill doctors.
I want to believe this is just one angry man who acted irrationally and was not spurred on by ‘conservative’ thought.
Yes, I’m liberal, but I’m not going to tar and feather conservatives for this one.
“People outside the conservative movement should be aware that the despicable actions allegedly carried out by Adkisson in no way reflect any conservative ideology, nor does this murderous rampage represent the kind of protest advocated by even the most angry of conservative intellectuals.”
People outside the “conservative”, i.e. statist/generic fascist movement know that modern “conservatives” are liars.
“Conservatives” should realize that people outside their bats*** cult do read books by people like Coulter and hear Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage and other movement “intellectuals” and are sickened and appalled.
Linda,
I do not think that going postal on persons I disagree with is the answer… Unfortunately, many of the radical right’s most vocal and prominent spokespersons do advocate this. Add one twisted mind that sees these spokespersons as leaders, mix in some of their venemous rhetoric, and let simmer in some percieved slight. What you get is what happened last Sunday.
By elevating individuals like Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, etc. to spokespersons and giving them money and a microphone, the conservative movement IS responsible for this event.
I’ve seen two long-time friends go “bats**t” over this degraded version of conservatism. It didn’t happen suddenly, they drifted gradually into more and more extreme rightist / fascist / racist views - by “logical extension” of legitimate conservative principles. It’s no surprise therefore to see that Adkisson acted out the “logical consequences” of conservative ideology.
It’s really a relief to see so many other responding to Justin Quinn’s attempt to get the whacko Conservative Movement off the hook. We aren’t buying it. And we won’t be buying ourselves any more of this twisted Republican crap in the next election either.
Linda, thank you for a fairly nuanced analysis. The shooter’s derangement is much more responsible than his political beliefs, but it does seem clear that he targeted TVUUC because of their participation in the “liberal movement” (something I’m not even certain really exists). But it doesn’t reflect on the conservative movement any more than the Weather Underground does on the radical left.
“Yes, I’m liberal, but I’m not going to tar and feather conservatives for this one.”
Linda, instead of being so “open-minded” your brain falls out, wake up and start looking at some of the rhetoric that modern conservatives spew.
The conservative movement is part guilty of this kind of hate crime. Not because up in GOP HQ someone said “hey, lets send out someone to attack a liberal Church” they are not guilty because they are sitting around making jokes about this terrible crime. No, the conservative movement is guilty because they allow hate to be preached in their name, and sit silently. They are guilty of not telling their spokespeople, their preachers, their talk show hosts to shut up. The hate that they brainwash people with, are NOT their conservative values. I’m old enough to remmember when being a conservative was someone who cared about the people, of the county and the land we live on, but now its not about what they care about but who they dislike. The GOP rank and file need to take back their party because of what they believe in, and end their silence. Those who preach hate and intolerance need to go away and Republicans need to lead that movement.
“Conservative intellectuals”…I’ve never laughed so hard in my life!
There is SO much hate being spewed … on this board … toward conservatives. There MUST be a difference between what I see in myself and what it is I see being hated. I’m pro-life (anti-abortion, anti-deathPenalty, anti-Euthenasia), pro-ecology, anti-deforestation (but think globalWarming is not real science), pro-alternativeEnergy (put the globalWarming money here) son of hippies. I see myself as a conservative, but obviously not a perfect ‘fit’ for either side. Yet, I see such hate spewed for ‘conservatives’. I think I see individuals that are not good representatives of ‘liberalism’. Neither my parents or their friends show such hatred. Better to define yourself by what you believe in rather than by those you hate.
Regarding #7, Jim Adkisson’s ex-wife was a member of that church. I read that it was believed that he attended that church with her a few times but not recently. He indicated to a neighbor that he
Linda Lee was a visitor from another church as were several others who were shot.
Adkisson was an unemployed truck driver who recently got notice his food stamps were being reduced. I understand he was in a motorcycle group.
He had a restraining order against him because he’d threatened to kill her and then himself. He indicated in his letter that he thought he would be killed by police. I think he wanted to die but was was too cowardly to do it himself so he drove across town and murdered my sister hoping someone woud shoot him. Now he’s in jail and will stand trial and I want justice.
My apologies. I did not finish the first paragraph.
Jim Adkisson’s wife was a member of the TVUU. Adkisson indicated to a neighbor that he did not like Christians. I don’t think he had any disagreement with the religious beliefs of Unitarians. I think he just disagreed with their politics. I also think it’s significant that he chose a church that his ex-wife had attended.